Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Thursday ordered the priority vaccination of persons residing and working in closed settings and long-term facilities in the city, after receiving reports that 50 percent of over a thousand employees have yet to get the coronavirus shot.

The city has so far monitored and visited 13 facilities that include orphanages, home care facilities, apostolate centers and rehabilitation centers.

City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CESU) chief Dr. Rolando Cruz said of the estimated 1,027 employees and residents in the facilities, 594 persons or more than 50 percent have not received the vaccine.

“We are working closely with the city’s vaccination team so inoculation can be done at the soonest possible time,” Cruz said.

Belmonte earlier said the city’s health department would bring the vaccination to the identified facilities as she encouraged the residents and staff to pull up their sleeves and get the life-saving shot.

The recent outbreaks in convents and a seminary prompted the city to issue ventilation guidelines on closed-setting facilities to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19.

Several religious facilities in Quezon City have remained under Special Concern Lockdown — the Stella Maris Convent since Sept. 10, the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM) convent since Sept. 14 and the Convent of the Holy Spirit since Sept. 15.

On Tuesday, RVM Spokesperson Sister Ma. Anicia Co confirmed in an interview over Radio Veritas that eight of their nuns aged between 80 to 90 years old recently succumbed to Covid-19.

All the eight nuns were unvaccinated not only because of their age but also because they were already sick.

At the Christ the King Mission Seminary, run by the Society of the Divine Word along E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, eleven have recovered but one died among the 25 persons who tested positive for the coronavirus.

Although she has yet to receive official communication from the congregation, Belmonte expressed her condolences to the Congregation of the RVM after learning about the passing of the eight nuns in their Cubao convent.

“On behalf of the city government, I would like to express my sincerest condolences to the whole RVM community for losing some of their sisters to Covid,” she said.

Belmonte assured that the city government “remains committed to extending assistance and support to all closed and long-term care facilities in the city to control infection and to prevent deaths from possible future outbreaks”. (PNA)